Cushion insole



Dec. 19, 1950 H. G. LUMBARD 2,534,462

CUSHION INsoLE Filed July 22, 1949 Magni. f" @@5451 Patented Dec. `19,., 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims. (Cl. 36e-776) Thisinvention comprises a' new and improved flexible insole of the cushion type.. The principal object of the invention is to provide a cushion insole that may be conveniently prepared and furnished to the shoemaker as a complete unit having a continuous cushion layer, which in the finished shoe will lie beneath the foot of the wearer, also having the desired shank curvature made permanent in the insole by an attached metallic shank stiffener, and presenting a pair of through-and-through perforations by which the insole and stiffener may be riveted into the finished shoe bottom.

A highly desirable riveted shank construction is disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,391,789, dated December 25, 1945, and directed to a process of making cushion sole shoes. In the process of that patent, however, it is necessary to feel for a rivet hole which is concealed in the insole by a continuous cushion ply. This involves a slow 2 Y Fig. 2 is a corresponding view of the insole unit as seen from above,

Fig. 3 is a corresponding view in side elevation,

Fig. 4 is a View in crosssection on the line V-d of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a shoe bottom in longitudinal section. In preparing the improved cushion insole of my invention the iibreboard ply It is rst cut accurately to size and shape and is provided in its forepart area with a series of through-andthrough transverse slits I I, These are staggeredl with respect to each other and some of them intersect the marginal edges of the ply. The edges of the slits II are slightly separated so that the and somewhat uncertain step that is obviated by board and cushion material united with full shank curvature, the breboard having a transversely slitted and very flexible forepart and a stiff toe and heel area, and a curved metallic shank stiifener attached to the shank portion of the-'fibreboard ply and imparting its curvature thereto, the said stiffener having a perforation near each end and body plies of the insolehaving corresponding registering perforations therein whereby rivets may be freely introduced through the insole andstiffener of a shoe lasted upon the insole. ``fThev registering perforationsimay bexconveniently formed by a punch arranged to operate through the perforations of thejmetallic stiffener which thus serves as a jig. This not only insures accurate registration of the perforations in the plies of the insole with the perforations of the shank stffener, but it has been found that a punch operated in this manner will form a hole in the cushion area that is larger than that in the breboard layer, thus affording a recess in which the upset flange of a rivet may be seated below the plane of the face of the cushion ply.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of the insole unit as seen from beneath.

area of the insole in which they are included is extremely flexible. The toe end I2 of the fibreboard ply and the shank and heel seat portions thereof are left unslitted and in stili but 'moldable condition.

'Having completed the shape of the iibreboard ply IB, its shape is exactly duplicated in a cush-v ion ply I3 which may preferably consist of a composition of ground cork and rubber, although any cushion material would serve as well for purposes of the present invention. The cushion ply I3 is permanently united in continuous face-toface contact to one face of the fibreboard ply` It, covering the slits I I and furnishing a smooth sur# face whichwill bel located beneath the foot of the wearer in the finished shoe.

TheA breboard ply may now be gauged and marked for-the reception of a curved metallic shank fstiifener such as the stiffenerl shown in theV drawings. The shank lstiiener is curved somewhat transversely and constitutes a stiff and rigid member in the shoe bottom. It has the full longitudinal shank curvature required in the iinis'hed shoe, and when attached to the fibreboard ply by split rivets I5 or other equivalent fastenings, it imparts permanently to both plies of the insole the shank curvature desired in the finished shoe.

' The composite insole unit may now be presented to a punch of a size to pass freely through the perforations I6 of the shank stiffener as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. In its operation the location of the punch is positively fixed by the perforations in the shank stiffener as if the latter were a jig. Each hole made in the breboard ply Il! registers exactly with the corresponding perforation I6 of the shank stiffener and is of the same diameter. On the other hand, in operating on the cushion ply I3, the material is temporarily compressed and the resulting perforations I'l are substantially greater in diameter than the perforations in the breboard I although they are accurately located in concentric relation therewith. The complete insole unit as shown in the drawings presents the enlarged recesses I1 in its cushion face, while the prongs of the rivets I5 are imbedded in the cork ply and sunk beneath its surface so that ther latter is perfectly smooth to the touch.

The complete insole unit, with its perforations as shown, may be supplied to the Shoemaker. preparatory to the lasting step. The manufacturing processes then proceed in the conventional manner prior to the attaching of the heel. While the shoe is in the lasting room it is presented to a riveting machine which drives a rivet 22 through an outsole 20 which has then been incorporated in the structure of the shoe, through the rear hole I5 of the shank stiffener It, and then through the registered perforations in the breboard and cushioned plies I0 and I3. The' upset inner end of the rivet 22 forms a ange resting upon the upper surface of the breboard ply I and is contained within the compass of the relatively large perforation .I'I, the result being that no portion of the rivet extends abcve the plane of the cushion ply I3. Subsequently a heel 23 `is attached iny conventional fashion and the bottom is finished. The

usual bottom filler is indicated at I9.

When the shoe reaches the packing room and prior to the time the sock lining is inserted, ya second rivet ZI, having a solid head, yis driven through the material of the outsole 2D, through the forward hole I5 of the shank stiifener I4 and then through the registered perforations in the fibreboard and cushion plies Iii and I3. As before, the upset hanged inner end of the rivet 2I is entirely contained Within the large perforation Il in the cushion ply I3 so that the rivet does not in any way -form a projection interfering with the smooth surface of the cushion ply. It is to be noted that the outsole'20 is not punched prior to the insertion of the rivets. The riveting machine forces the rivets through the material of the outsole and in this processcuts a cylindrical plug which remains in compressed condition in the barrel of the rivet. The plug thus formed serves as an effective seal preventing moisture from entering the interior of the rivet and thereby preserving it against corrosion. The head of the rivet 2| remains visible in the shank portion of the outsole and may be nished so that it provides an ornamental appearance and also an indication that the purchaser is securing a shoe of riveted shank construction.

When it is desired to insert a rivet, vthe pilot of the machine is inserted in the hole freely eX- posed in the insole and the machine tripped. The rivet is thereupon driven through the outsole from the outside, punching its own hole and being guided into the hole in the insole by the pilot of the riveting machine. The leather punched by the rivet is forced into the inside Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. vAn improved `cushion insole comprising coextensive plies of an insole and a cushion material united with full shank curvature, the insole having a transversely slitted flexible forepart and stift' toe end area, and a curved-metallic shank stiifener, fasteners attaching -the shank stiifener to the shank portion of the insole ply -and imparting its 'curvature thereto,- said stiifener ha-V- ing a perforation located near each end independently of said fasteners and both plies of the insole having corresponding registering perforations; therein whereby-rivets may be introduced throughthe insole and stiiener of a shoe lasted upon theV insole.

2. An insole of the character described in claiml 1 in which vthe perforations in the cushion ply are of greater diameter than the perforations in the insole, thus providing a recess in which a rivet `flange .may be seatedbelow the plane of the face of the cushion ply.

3. An improved shoe comprising an insole, a ply of cushion material united with the vupper surface of said insole, a curved metallic shank stiffener, split rivets securing the shank stiffener to the shank portion of the insole and imparting its curvature thereto, said stiffener having a perforation located near each end independently of the split rivets and boththe insolev and the cushion ply having corresponding larger con-v centric perforations, an outsole secured to-the lower surface of the insole, a pair Yof rivets unit-A ing saidoutsole and insole and extending through the perforations in said shank stiiener. and said insole, said rivets having their clenched ends entirely contained within the perforations of-said cushion ply, and 4a plugof outsole materialdis-` posed in compressed condition in the barrelof each of said rivets.

- HENRY G. LUMBARD.

- REFERENCES CITED The'followingzreferences are-of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,784,940 Mathews Dec. 16, 1930 2,391,789 Lumbard Dec. 25, 1945 

